Despite claims by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that water fluoridation is the one of the ten greatest public health achievements in the nation, counties and municipalities around the country are ending their fluoridation practices. Severe critics of water fluoridation have called the practice “poisoning.”
Regardless of this controversial claim, the E.M . Johnson Water Treatment Plant adds fluoride to N.C . State’s drinking water at 0.65 parts per million.
Now the question is, why?
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that intentionally fluoridates its water supply, and Raleigh participates in this practice.
Water facilities fluoridate drinking water because studies have shown it prevents tooth decay, according to the CDC. This government agency considers water fluoridation to be the most cost effective way to provide dental care to people who can’t afford it.
On the other hand, water fluoridation is thought to account for the rise in fluorosis , the discoloring of teeth, according to the CDC.
Although health organizations like the CDC claim fluoride has no other side effects, others disagree. For instance, the Fluoride Action Network, an activist group against water fluoridation, often cites studies that link fluoride to cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, infertility and reduced IQ. One study by the National Institute for Dental Research concludes fluoride doesn’t even prevent tooth decay.
Ingested fluoride accumulates in the body, and only a small amount of the treatment reaches the gum enamel where it is intended to be, according to Detlef Knappe , a water treatment researcher for more than 20 years.
“Ingesting fluoride through drinking water is controversial because nowadays we can achieve the intended benefit of fluoride through the use of topical substances such as toothpaste,” Knappe said.
Water fluoridation has been ongoing since the 1940s , and fluoridated toothpaste was introduced in the 1970s . Since this time, hundreds of decade-long studies concluded that water fluoridation prevents tooth decay, but they never considered variables like toothpaste, according to the CDC.
Also since the 1940s , there has been a significant rise in cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, infertility and other possible fluoride side effects. However, it is conceivable that other factors are to blame.
Despite this web of conflicting research, one observation stands out: the amount of fluoridated toothpaste typically put on a toothbrush contains roughly the same amount of fluoride as an eight-ounce glass of water. However, you are told to contact poison control if you ingest toothpaste.
However, this statement is misleading because there is a plethora of other scary sounding chemicals in toothpaste. The scariest part is that technically, it is not even fluoride that is added to the drinking water; instead it is something called hydrofluorosilicic acid, a chemical byproduct of the fertilizer industry.
Barbara Luffman , general manager of the Key Chemical company that prepares hydrofluorosilicic acid for use in the University water supply, also makes the point that hydrofluorosilicic acid is not the only hazardous chemical added to tap water.
For example, sodium hydroxide is a common hazardous chemical used in water treatment plants. However, when added to water, sodium hydroxide reacts to form a chemical that is needed to manage water pH levels.
Similarly hydrofluorosilicic acid is used instead of real fluoride because it reacts quickly to produce real fluoride once it is added to water.
However, much of the fluoridation debate boils down to following the money and understanding who benefits financially from this water policy.
Hydrofluorosilicic acid is considered a waste product of the fertilizer industry when it pollutes the environment, but is considered tooth salvation when added to the public water supply. The fertilizer industry saves money by selling hydrofluorosilicic acid rather than paying a waste management facility to dispose of it properly.
